Month: January 2019

Darren had always enjoyed the Morning
Office. The pattern of prayers and
readings were a predictable, soothing, regular start to the day, and gave a
rhythm to his life that could be incredibly chaotic. Today, however, it felt like dust. He gently closed the prayer book and turned
around to face the empty church.

He was supposed to carry on sorting
through the old papers from the Paladin’s Citadel, but his heart wasn’t in
it. For once, doing his duty seemed like
a long, dry stretch. Perhaps if he went
for a run first, he may find the clarity of mind he needed.

The church door clanged, and Darren
winced. He wasn’t up to parishioners
today. He turned his attention to a
stack of tattered hymn books that needed to be junked and hoped that whoever
was marching in with such purpose would take the hint that he was extremely
busy. He looked up and his stomach
seemed to freeze. “Jasmine, what are you
doing here?” He looked around quickly, but she was on her own.

“You never called me!” Jasmine strode up
until she was barely inches from his face.
“You never called once!”

It took all of Darren’s legendary
willpower to look fully at Jasmine. “I
didn’t think you would want to talk to me.”

“We had the most amazing…”

Darren held up his hand. “Not here, we could be overheard by anyone
coming in and I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“Ian is not my keeper.” Jasmine followed
him into the vestry. “It’s nothing to do
with him.”

“He’s the head of the pack.” Darren
said. He stumbled over the words. “He may think less of you.”

“Are you worried that he’d beat you up?”
Jasmine asked.

Darren shrugged. “I’d deserve it. You were drugged. It wasn’t fair.” He turned away, unable to
look at her anymore.

“We had the most amazing night of sex that
I could ever imagine.” Jasmine said.
“And, yes, we were drugged by something, but it wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t mine.” She took a deep breath
and added quietly, “but it was… It was
fantastic.”

“I’ve seen something like this in others.”
Darren said, still unable to look around.
“It’s an elfen aphrodisiac. They
spike each other’s drinks with it or they use it to spice up their
bedrooms. They’re careless with it,
though, and it gets complicated.”

“Like us?” Jasmine sank into one of the
hard, wooden chairs against the wall.
“Why won’t you look at me?”

“Because I’m ashamed of taking advantage of
you.” Darren said with his usual honesty.
“It was… It was extraordinary and amazing, and you are so beautiful, and
the drug meant that it wasn’t real.”

“I want to do it again.” Jasmine
said.

“Well, we can’t.” Darren turned around
finally and saw the determination on her face.
He didn’t want to deal with this.

“Why not?” Jasmine said. She stood up and moved closer to him.

Darren could smell the scent of her
shampoo, fresh and clean, and see too clearly the fear of rejection in her
eyes, but she wasn’t backing down. “I’m
a vicar and I’m old enough to be your father.”

“But you’re not my father and even vicars
get married. I’m not suggesting
marriage,” Jasmine added hurriedly, “but we’ve already had sex.”

Darren said. “We were drugged. And Ian wouldn’t like it.”

“Are you seriously so afraid of Ian?”
Jasmine asked.

Darren frowned. “It’s about respect. But I am still far too old for you and…”

“Are you gay?” Jasmine asked.

“What?”
Darren looked at her blankly. “No, I’m
not. But it doesn’t matter. It would be wrong.”

“It’s just that most men don’t turn down
sex.” Jasmine said. “Not if they’re
single. And you’ve said I’m beautiful.”

“But you’re so young.”

“I’m 24, old enough to make a decision.”

“And I’m 38.” Darren took a deep
breath. Their night spent under the
influence of the elfen aphrodisiac had been one of the most amazing of his
life, and he had never wanted to love
someone so much in his life. But he had
to do the right thing, no matter how hard.
“You should be with someone your own age.”

“I left the Liverpool pack because I made
my own choices.” Jasmine said. “You can
say ‘no’ because you don’t want me, but don’t say ‘no’ because you don’t
respect my choice.”

“It’s not as easy as that.” Darren
said. He could remember with
excruciating clarity the softness of her hair and the taste of her lips.

Ian held up a hand. “Whatever was in that hot chocolate, it’s
still affecting you.” He looked at them, anger growing on his face. “A respected exorcist and a member of my pack were drugged with an elfen drug
and all you talk about is dating? You
should know better, Darren. Accidental
or not, it’s an attack and we need to send a message.”

“But what will people say about Jasmine?”
Darren said. He swallowed. “They could say that she’s…”

“They will say that she’s well protected,
just like the rest of my pack. And you
need to speak to Dave and the Templars.” Ian looked ready to shake Darren. “You’ve just been drugged by an elfen. What if someone had needed you that
night? What if there had been a
demon? Or a bad haunting? How about someone possessed that were losing
control? How about one of your flock needing
you because they were losing a loved one, or dying? Something needs to be done. I’m going to speak with Kieran and Lady
Freydis.” He turned towards the door.
“Darren, get on that phone and make some serious calls. And yes, you can date.” Ian turned back to
give Darren a very hard look. “As long
as it all stays respectful. And at least
your mouse problem is getting dealt with.” Ian waved at a skeletal hand which
was scuttling past with a small, furry shape impaled on its middle finger,
before sweeping out, slamming the door behind him.

Darren watched the hand dive behind the
heavy bookcase in the corner and decided that he could shelve that
problem. He turned towards Jasmine who
was looking smug.

“So, are we meeting for coffee?” Jasmine
asked.

“I’m taking you to dinner, tomorrow night,
no arguments.” Darren said. “Wear
something nice but not too fancy. And
then we can come back to the vicarage and work on those papers like we should
have done that night.”

“Just work on the papers?” Jasmine asked
carefully.

“We can take a few breaks.” Darren said,
suddenly feeling energised. “Now, I need
to make some calls.”

Dave parked the car and looked at Luke
sitting next to him. “We don’t have a
legal leg to stand on.”

Luke shrugged. “Ian asked nicely. And from what Callum said, being a stray is
tough. He was probably desperate. And at least he’s not on drugs.”

“So we’re just dealing with a desperate
werewolf, not a drugged up and desperate werewolf.” Dave sighed. “If it comes out, the police could still be
called in. You know, they won’t ignore
it. They treat a crime as a crime.”

Luke grimaced. “Ian may be able to speak nicely to Ms
Royston, but let’s worry about what could
happen later. Let’s just deal with
what’s happening now. As far as anyone
can tell, it’s the first time he’s crossed a line. We may be able to put him on the right path.”

“If anyone can, Ian can.” Dave said. “He handed out a few lessons to Callum and he
takes no nonsense.” He sighed. “Let’s
get on with it.”

The two men left the car, looking around
carefully. It wasn’t a bad part of town,
but it wasn’t the best. Dave locked the
car and walked up to the flats. The
buzzer system was broken and someone had helpfully propped open the entrance. Dave raised his eyebrows and eased
inside. Luke checked behind him and
followed Dave.

The flat they were looking for was up
echoing concrete steps and Dave and Luke didn’t bother trying to hide their approach. Werewolves had notoriously sharp ears, even
in human shape. Dave ignored the bell
and rapped on the door. It echoed. There was a long pause and then the door
opened.

The man the other side was not what Dave
expected. For one thing, he was barely a
man, looking in his late teens or early twenties, his straight brown hair
hanging limp around his thin face and the t-shirt and jeans hanging off his
skinny frame. And he looked far too
nervous to be the expert stalker who tailed a business man to and from his date
with his mistress. Instead he looked
like he was waiting for the next kick.
Dave could understand why Ian wanted to give him a chance, but he had
learned never to trust a werewolf in loose clothing.

“Hi, my name is Dave Kinson, this is Luke
Fawcett. May we come in?” Dave stepped
forward with assurance, not giving the young werewolf a chance to reply. Dave glanced around the bedsit. There was no-one else in the shabby space. Luke strode over to the door to the small
bathroom and glanced in. He looked back
at Dave and shook his head. No-one else
was around.

“Do I know you?” The lad cleared his
throat. “I mean, I think you should
leave.”

“You’re Trent Robson, aren’t you?” Dave
said. “And you’ve been a naughty
boy. Have you handed over the photos
yet?”

“We’re paladins, but we are here because
Ian Tait asked us nicely.” Dave said.
“He’s asked us to give you a chance.” He exchanged a glance with
Luke. “So, tell me all about it.”

“Do you know how hard it is to get a job
without the proper ID?” Trent asked. He
sat down, hopelessly, on his unmade bed.
“And no experience? And I daren’t
ask for references.”

“Your pack got scattered, didn’t it?” Dave
asked as he walked over to the window and checked outside. “There was a dispute over leadership.”

Trent shrugged. “I thought it would be okay. I’d heard Old Phineas talk about York having
opportunities to work below the radar, so I came up here.” He looked between
the two stern faced men. “But it wasn’t
as easy as I thought it would be.
Listen, it was good money, and no-one would get hurt.”

“It wasn’t an affair.” Luke said from his
place by the door. “He was visiting his
sister. He would have spotted any other
private investigator following him, but he wouldn’t notice a large dog, would
he? It was perfect. It’s a shame that the guy that hired you wasn’t
an offended husband, but a stalker. Have
you passed over the information yet?”

Trent went pale but shook his head. “I’m supposed to be meeting tonight.”

“Give us the details and we can make sure someone
who can deal with breach of a restraining order can be waiting for him.” Dave
said. “But why don’t you come with us
and we’ll introduce you to Ian Tait. He
may give you a chance, if you keep your nose clean.”

The atmosphere in the Lady Freydis’ Great
Hall was tense as small and awkward knots of non-normals waited for her to
appear. Darren stood next to Dave, Luke
and Sir Ewan, his face immobile. Jasmine
looked pale, standing next to Ian and Kieran who were both looking furious.

Lady Freydis appeared, striding through a door tucked behind one of the Victorian ferns and dragging Egerton along the floor behind her. She threw him down in front of her favourite chair. Egerton sprawled helplessly in front of her. His glamour could only hide so much, and he looked very much the worse for wear. Martin and Atherton followed, their faces stern.

“Do not think to try me.” Lady Freydis
looked around her court. “I will not brook
such behaviour. It is one thing to be
careless but to try and drug your Prince but fail and instead drug a respected
and admired exorcist and a member of
a werewolf pack in very good standing is unacceptable.” She kicked Egerton hard
in the ribs and he groaned and rolled over.
“I am not to be trifled with!”
She kicked Egerton again. “You
think because I am a widow that I am easily played? I think not!” She grabbed Egerton by the hair
and dragged him to his feet. “I am feeling
inclined to mercy, as no permanent damage has been done.” She looked around the
court to make sure everyone was getting the message. Egerton was barely conscious and swayed
gently as she held him upright with a hand on his neck. “This miscreant who so misjudged matters is
to be a servant to the Reverend Darren King for the rest of the minister’s life. He is to wait on him and do his bidding.” A
brief flicker of horror ran across Darren’s face at the thought before he controlled
himself. “Do not worry. He will serve in spirit as well as to the letter.”
She gave the unfortunate Egerton a shake and his teeth rattled. “And when he is not in service to the good
minister, he will be watching the fields of the Tait pack and ensuring their
fertility for the lifespan of Jasmine, in good faith.” Lady Freydis gave Egerton
another shake and dropped him.

“Thank you for your judgement.” Darren
bowed politely. “Perhaps I should take him
back to the vicarage?” Darren looked at the heap on the floor and wondered how
you nursed a well beaten elfen.

“An excellent idea.” Lady Freydis
said. “He can be ready to start any
duties you assign him.” She nodded to
Atherton. “Help this creature to the
vicarage with the Reverend, please.”

“Thank you for your wise and merciful
judgement.” Ian Tait said as he bowed. “We
are grateful that your loyal werewolf subjects were heard.” He glanced at Atherton hoisting Egerton over
his shoulder and leading Darren out. “It
is a graceful judgement that shows your power and your mercy.” He followed Darren out and gradually the Hall
returned to normal.

Lady Freydis sat in her favourite
chair. “I wonder if Egerton knows how
lucky he is?” She said quietly as Martin brought her a glass of wine.

“He does now.” Martin said. “But he has a point. The healing of the realm would go much faster
if you were married.”

“You too?” Lady Freydis sipped her
wine. “I know what you’re thinking. But if I were to marry you, I would break
your heart. I would destroy you.”

“I’ll take that risk.” Martin said. “And you need someone loyal at your side. Someone who has your best interests at heart.”

“There are many stories about marrying an
elfen and regretting it.” Lady Freydis said softly. “And I would not wish to hurt you.”

“I know.” Martin said. “That is what is heartbreaking. Near but not quite there.”

Lady Freydis looked around the Hall. “We’ll talk about this later, in sunlight,
and everything is calm.” She
sighed. “I fear for you, Martin, but you
will not hear it.”

Martin shrugged. “Let us look forward to lighter things, my lady. I cannot wait to see the havoc that Egerton can cause in a vicarage.”

“There was no need to give me a lift.”
Jasmine stormed into the shop followed by Darren. “It’s perfectly safe and I need the
exercise.”

“It’s not safe to just wander around
lonely lanes, and if you want to exercise then join a gym. It’s much more time efficient.” Darren
snapped.

“I can take care of myself.” Jasmine
pulled off her jacket and marched into the back room.

“I’m sure you can, but it doesn’t look
good on Ian if there are predators with unexplained bite marks. And it looks even worse on him if you’re
mobbed by a bunch of strays. With all
the changes going on, anyone could be coming to York.” Darren yelled at the
doorway to the back room.

Lady Freydis exchanged an amused glance
with Egerton who was lounging with cat like ease against the counter. Darren looked over.

“Of course I mean no disrespect.” Darren
visibly struggled to calm down. “And we
all know that any transgressions would be firmly punished. But it’s not always safe for young girls to
walk several miles especially when they
don’t need to. What does Ian think
about you walking?”

Jasmine ignored the question. “I’m not that young.”

“You act young enough.” Darren said.

“That’s not fair!” Jasmine frowned as she
realised how much water she was splashing as she washed her hands. “Just because you act like you’re
ninety. I’m just acting normal for my
age.”

“That’s enough!” Jeanette looked between
Darren and Jasmine and sighed. “Jasmine,
please will you clear the tables in the annexe.
Darren, what do you think of this for the church decoration for the
wedding?”

Darren looked with horror at the floral
arrangement in the magazine that Jeanette held out to him. “That monstrosity is not coming anywhere near
my church.” He took a deep breath. “We can talk dates after church on Sunday.” He
looked at the gaggle of women clustered around the magazines. “Are you still considering a double wedding?”

Jeanette and Adele exchanged glances and
nodded. “It would save a lot of money on
the flowers.” Adele said.

“Okay, I’ll check up what the rules are
and the fees I have to charge.” Darren said.
He watched Jasmine head towards the archway that marked the entrance to the
magical annexe that Lady Freydis had just added. “Don’t forget that you are supposed to be
coming to the vicarage tonight. Ian said
that you would help me go through the records.”

Jasmine froze. “I’d forgotten about that.”

“It’s okay, I’ll get pizza. There’s just so much to go through that all
help is appreciated. I’ll pick you up –
for convenience. About 6.30?”

Jasmine nodded and smiled. “Okay.” She vanished into the annexe.

Darren came over to Lady Freydis. “How safe is that realm?”

“It’s very safe, remarkably roomy and the
brownies are giving a Fiona a discount because apparently all the little quirks
I built in are a challenge and useful training.” Lady Freydis said smugly.

Darren looked between Egerton and Lady
Freydis and was not reassured by their equally bland expressions. He changed the subject. “I wonder if you could help me. Can you ask if any of your court remembers
anything about disembodied skeletal hands that ate rats, mice and any caged
rodent? They’re becoming quite a
problem.”

“I don’t know why you’re complaining.”
Lady Freydis said. “They’re being
incredibly useful. There is a problem
with vermin, and these things, whatever they are, solve that problem.”

“People don’t like seeing a skeleton’s
hand trotting down their hall with a dead rat clutched between two fingers. They find it disturbing.” Darren said. “And Dave, Luke and I had to be on guard all
the way through the York Dungeon’s Rat Café.
I have better things to do with my time.” He sighed.
“Please. We think that they
escaped or woke up or whatever when the old Paladin’s house blew up. Unfortunately a lot of the records blew up as
well and what has survived is muddled.
I’d really appreciate the help.”

“What’s in it for our Prince?” Egerton
asked. “She is not some servant of the
Templars.”

“It’s okay.” Lady Freydis said, shooting a
warning look at Egerton. “This is the
Reverend King, after all. He has been of
help to our court many times and did not charge for the funeral of Lord
Ragnar.”

“That is a debt.” Egerton nodded.

“And you have little Jasmine for the
evening.” Lady Freydis’ smile had a wicked edge.

“I’m glad of the help with the records.”
Darren said. He looked through the arch
to make sure Jasmine was well out of even werewolf earshot. “I think I’m babysitting her. Ian and Callum have stuff to do with Kieran
and Jeanette and Adele are at a wedding fair for most of the evening. She sees me as a father figure, I think, so
Ian wants me to keep an eye out for her.”

“She still seems stuck in the teenager
mind.” Egerton said, amused. “Although
she is older.”

Lady Freydis looked even more amused. “Now she is in a safe place, she can feel confident
answering back. Thus, she is making the
most of her opportunities. Ian and
Darren must feel so delighted.”

“We’re thrilled.” Darren said. “I need to get off. There are a lot of records still to go
through.”

Egerton watched him leave and then turned
his attention to the rest of the staff. Dave
was standing by the window, showing Elaine how to cut a deck one-handed while
Jeanette, Adele and Fiona huddled around a cascade of wedding magazines. He turned to Lady Freydis. “Love appears to be in the air, even though
it is autumn. Perhaps you should
consider it.”

“I am not in the mood for love.” Lady
Freydis stroked the cloth over the coffee machine, tenderly wiping over the
nozzles. “It is not yet a year since I
lost my husband.”

“You may not be in the mood for love, but
perhaps you should consider duty.” Egerton leaned forward. “I may not have your touch with the Realms of
the Fae, but even I can tell that rebuilding the balances would be easier with
a lord at your side.”

Lady Freydis sighed. “The two most loyal to Lord Ragnar are
Atherton and Kadogan. There are good
reasons why neither should be asked to marry me. There are some sacrifices a lord should not
ask of good men. And Egerton, we would
not suit. There needs to be less
turbulence in the realms, not more.
There are corners that have not been stable for a thousand years. I do not sit idle.”

“Perhaps you should.” Egerton said. “Then you can see what benefits there would be
if we joined forces. We are not so ill
suited.”

Lady Freydis slapped her hand hard onto
the counter. It echoed around the shop
and everyone looked around. “This is the
last I will hear of this. I work because
then I do not remember Lord Ragnar. Even
a fae can break their heart. Now, if you
will permit your prince, I have work to do.” She spun around and headed into
the back.

Martin stepped quietly out of the
annexe. “Egerton, with all due respect,
leave our Prince alone. Now is not a
time to push emotions on her.”

“You know much for a vampire.” Egerton
tried to hide his fear. “You can see
that there needs to be balance.”

“I can see that forcing Lady Freydis into
emotions she isn’t ready for is not only unwise, and foolish for those who
dance the masked pavane, but dangerous for anyone connected to the realms.”
Martin stepped a little closer. “Perhaps
you need to reconsider your ambitions.”

Dave grinned at Elaine. “It’s not just about being quick. It’s about making sure people see what they want to see. And while they’re looking at that, they don’t
see the switch.”

Elaine shook her head. “Even when I know what’s happening, I still
can’t follow it.”

Dave laughed. “It’s a useful trick. I don’t do it much when I’m using the Tarot,
but it’s helpful sometimes.”

Elaine smiled wryly. “I’m used to things not being quite what they
seem,” she said. “The new annexe that
Lady Freydis added is amazing.”

“I think I ought to have objected more.”
Dave said. “I’m one of the
paladins. If anyone walks around the
back of the building and then tries to compare what’s inside with what’s
outside, we’ll be in trouble.”

“It’s usually just coach parties, and they
don’t have time to do that.” Elaine said.
“And speaking of coach parties, I need to get busy. A coach party from Southampton have requested
goody bags and I need to finish them off.”

“People are coming here from Southampton?”
Dave said, surprised.

“We’re not that popular.” Elaine
said. “But we are now an established
stop on all non-normal coach tours.
They’re stopping here after seeing York centre and then they’re lodging
with Kieran. Yesterday they did
Nottingham and tomorrow it’s Durham. I
couldn’t do that myself.”

“I know.” Dave nodded. “You have to check the date and the itinerary
before you know where you are. It must
all blur into one.” He hesitated.
“Before you go, do you want to come out for a drink tomorrow night? Maybe go into Tadcaster or Malton, away from
the tourists.”

“That would be great.” Elaine said. “Malton is lovely.”

“I’ll pick you up here, then.” Dave
said. “Around 7? We can just go somewhere casual.”

“I’ll meet you here around 7.” Elaine
smiled. “And I really need to get
moving.”

“See you tomorrow.” Dave said.

Dave was whistling as he met Luke at the
Paladin’s house. Luke looked up from the
coffee he was making and pulled out another mug. “You look happy.” Luke said. “You’ve either won the lottery or finally asked Elaine on a date.”

Dave got the teabags out of the
cupboard. “You’re definitely on duty
tomorrow night.”

“If we don’t have an issue.” Luke said.

“Mate, don’t do that to me.” Dave stopped
mid pour and put the kettle down. “I
can’t stand a girl up on the first date.”

“She’ll understand.” Luke said. “She knew Steve for years.”

“Yeah, well I’m not Steve, okay. She ditched him.”

“Okay.” Luke held up a hand. “Changing the subject, I’ve taken the last of
the old records over to Darren’s place. We
can take it in turns to wade through it.”

“Jasmine’s going to help out.” Dave
said. “Ian said he didn’t want to leave
her alone in the house.”

Luke shook his head. “She was on the streets for quite a
while. Does he think that she’d be
scared in a house?”

“Perhaps it’s time she was protected,
then.” Dave said. “She’s a good kid.”

Luke grunted and drained his coffee. “I’m
getting back to work.” He hesitated. “It
means a lot to you, doesn’t it? Getting
a date with Elaine.”

Dave shrugged. “I can’t exactly go on a dating site and list
that I’m a Tarot reader who doesn’t believe in Tarot readings and I spend half
my life breaking up fights between goblins and their normal neighbours. And Elaine’s…. nice.”

Luke slotted the mug into the dishwasher. “Well, I’ll see you later.”

Egerton sauntered back into the White Hart. The shop showed all the signs of too many
coach parties. There were gaps in the displays
and Adele was wearily re-stocking the gift section. Jasmine trudged out with a tray of mugs. She placed them carefully next to the dishwasher
and picked up a spray and cloth. “I
think I’ve got most of the crockery.”

Fiona nodded. “Just have a quick wipe around. Darren will be picking you up in a second.”

Jasmine managed a smile. “I’m trying to look forward to wading through
a load of dusty books, but at least there’ll be pizza.”

Elaine staggered in from the warehouse
with a box of books. “Please tell me we
won’t get four coaches in an afternoon again.” She said. “It’s been insane.”

Fiona followed her with another box. “It will be worse nearer Christmas, but some
of the cubs from Kieran’s pack will be helping out. Today was crazy.”

Egerton leant forward on the freshly wiped
counter and pulled out some money. “Lady
Freydis, please could you make two hot chocolates with extra glitter and
cream. One for me and one for my puissant
Prince. You will accept tribute, won’t you?”

Lady Freydis nodded. “I am always happy to accept tribute.” She
stroked her hand over the coffee machine.
“The Machine has worked hard today and worked well. It is incredibly reliable.”

“Like all of the staff.” Fiona said as she
staggered past.

“Indeed.” Lady Freydis poured the exact
amount of milk with practised precision.
“Are you still coming with me to the Oak Green this evening to sort out
that difficult patch of toadstools?”

“Why else would I be here?” Egerton
watched as Lady Freydis frothed the milk and added the exact quantity of chocolate
powder. “They have been troublesome for
a while and their mould is leaking through to the normal world in some places.”

“I have the utmost respect for the paladins.”
Lady Freydis poured the drink into take out cups and added a flourishing swirl
of spray cream. “I do not wish to antagonise
them unnecessarily.” She smiled with a hint of malice as she dusted the cream
with green edible glitter. “Of course, sometimes
a little antagonism is entirely necessary, just so they do not become too comfortable.” She turned to put the money in the till. Egerton looked around. Jasmine was in the annexe, Mrs Tuesday was loading
the dishwasher, Fiona, Adele and Elaine were re-stocking shelves, and Mrs
Cadwallader and Mrs Anderson had already gone home. He quickly tipped a light dusting of delicate,
shining powder over the glitter already on the hot chocolates.

“I shall make our hot chocolates afresh.”
Lady Freydis said to Egerton who was watching as Darren and Jasmine jogged out
of the shop and into Darren’s battered Range Rover. “We are not so pressed for time and may
savour our drinks before work.”

Egerton nodded. “Of course.
And we may discuss many obscure things.
For example, have you ever heard of elfen aphrodisiacs being used on
mortals?”

“On normals.”
Lady Freydis said, pointedly. “I’ve heard
a few legends and it has never ended well.
Why?”

“I thought it might make a good tale.” Egerton
said, a malicious smile playing around his lips. “If I were a bard, I should like to see how
it unfolds.”